Istana Negara, Jalan Istana, Official royal palace in northwestern Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Istana Negara is a pale grey-white, two-storey former palace on the slope of Bukit Petaling, its right-hand section rising into a central block topped by a large cream-coloured dome on an octagonal drum with small dark windows and a lantern finial. To the left, tall dark windows with white frames sit above a colonnade of three round arches, with lower white arches on the ground floor.
Built in 1928 as a mansion called The Big House for the Chinese millionaire Chan Wing, it served as the Japanese Governor's residence from 1942 to 1945 and was rented by the Selangor state government for Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah from 1950 to 1957. In 1957 the Federal Government bought the 13-acre property for 1.4 million Malayan dollars and converted it into the national palace; the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Rahman, moved in weeks before independence. It remained the royal residence until the court moved to Jalan Duta on 15 November 2011, and became the Royal Museum in 2013.
Since 2013 two guards in Malay traditional attire have stood at the main gateway, reviving the dress of the Malay Sultanate era. The throne room, Balai Rong Seri, holds the Singgahsana, its carvings combining cloud motifs with the hibiscus, Malaysia's national flower, and gilded to mark the throne's rank.
The grounds are not open to the public but can be viewed from outside along several roads. Visitors wanting to see the outer walls and domes will find good vantage points along Jalan Istana.
The throne, the Singgahsana in the Balai Rong Seri, is carved with hibiscus motifs, Malaysia's national flower, and gilded to mark the king's position. Its upright form is meant to recall that people should remember their Creator. It was first used at the 1980 installation of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang as the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
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